Bladestorm: Nightmare is a strategy game where the player takes the role of a mercenary and chooses to fight either for England or for France in missions inspired by real events and battles of the era dubbed ‘the Hundred Years War’; a conflict that raged between 1337 and 1453 between the House of Plantagenet (England) and the House of Valois (France), also implicating most western-European kingdoms at one time or another.

Revisiting one of the lengthiest and most politically unstable periods in European history, Omega Force has developed this title in a way that allows the player to assume command of different kinds of army units, while it also offers them the opportunity to develop their own unique character, increase their fame, gold, and army and complete various missions irrespective of sides and loyalty.

In March Tecmo Koei will launch a playable demo for PS3, PS4 (PSN) and Xbox One (Xbox Live), which will include a battle tutorial, showcasing a variety of troops the lead character can command, squad attack actions, different employable weapons and the tactic of ‘zapping’ between units. Playing this demo will enable the player to get an early start in mastering the flow of battle during a mission, and give them a deeper understanding of the various tactical and strategic options available in the game.

Downloading the demo will also allow save data transfer from Bladestorm: the Hundred Year War (PS3) to Bladestorm: NightmarePS4 / PS3 versions.

Fans who pre-order through GameStop will receive a dragon mask & staff item set along with a special costume set for the Black Prince and Joan of Arc.

In Europe, fans who pre-order through Game will receive a dragon mask & staff item set while those who choose to pre-order through PSN will receive a Cyclops mask & club item set. A special costume set for the Black Prince and Joan of Arc will be available from independent retailers via CentreSoft.

In Bladestorm: Nightmare the player is summoned to create a mercenary and accept missions that will advance the English or the French cause in the course of the Hundred Years' War. The successful completion of these missions depends on a variety of elements that put the player’s fighting abilities, strategy, tactical and leadership skills to the test. The Mercenary does not ride to the field alone, but as the commander of an army unit chosen to fit each individual situation as some missions are better fought with foot soldiers, others with lances, archers, light cavalry, or a combination of melee, ranged and mounted units.

The updated battle system in Bladestorm: Nightmare allows for simultaneous control of up to 4 army units increasing the game's strategic edge— units can be repositioned at any time and ordered to take certain actions that will aid in a successful mission including attacks from specific angles and holding a position or group within another unit.  The player can choose to switch to command any of these units in real time, combine them in a 200 soldier troop for a charged attack, or issue orders to each and any of them using the battle map interface.

Aside from the main mode’s educational value (it accurately follows the events as they unfolded), ‘Bladestorm’ will also include a stand-alone mode called ‘Nightmare’, which features an original, fictional scenario.

In ‘Nightmare’, as the war between England and France wages on as a mysterious battle horde of outlandish creatures appears led by a seemingly turned-evil Joan of Arc. The army is comprised of Dragons, Giants and Demons of various kinds and infinite numbers and the kingdoms of England and France momentarily cease fire and join forces to drive this evil out of the world. This new mode allows the player to take control of an additional 32 playable characters, based both on fictional and prominent historical figures of the time. With their assistance the player’s character can try and control the demonic armies, restore Joan of Arc to her former self and save the world from evil.

This fun new twist diversifies the classic strategy elements of the game, and effectively splits ‘Bladestorm: Nightmare’ into two parts; ‘Bladestorm’: the historically accurate account of the 100 Years’ War, and ‘Nightmare’: a fictional fantasy scenario that unfolds in the same world.

The PS4 and XOne versions will be available for $59.99, while the PS3/PC edition ($49.99) of Bladestorm: Nightmare will only be available as a digital download.